In search of BLUEBILL

My grandfather William K. "Bill" Hammond and his wife Rosemary "Rosie" built a 65' steel hulled houseboat called BLUEBILL on the banks of the Kentucky River in Brooklin, KY, right on US-68 between Lexington and Harrodsburg. Started in mid-1970's and finished around 1984. He laid and welded the steel, then flipped the hull and built the rest in wood and glass. Twin screw diesel powered. He was a SeaBee in WWII, then worked in steel construction after. The boat was his retirement project. He was a member of the Bluegrass Power Squadron. While under construction, he was visited by traveling writer William Least Heat Moon and a portion of his book Blue Highways featured the story of building the boat on the side of US Highway 68. When the boat was finished he made arrangements to have the dormant locks on the KY River opened for him so that he could get to the Ohio. From there he planned to get down to the gulf via the Tenn-Tom. He made it to Florence, IN and Turtle Creek Marina...across the river from Warsaw, KY. So that's technically headed upriver and not headed down to the gulf... Welding and smoking over the course of his life gave him emphysema. He was getting progressively sicker by that time and needed to find someplace to stow the boat while he and my grandmother moved back up into central Indiana closer to family and treatment. He passed away in 1986. Grandma tried to hold on to the boat but it was sold by '88 or '89.

Lost track of it after that. We've all figured that at some point it was hauled up on a beach and broken up or burned.

It may have changed name to Blue Skies with a subsequent owner.

Some online research and pictures turned up these:
D911797 VIN
RBS Hull KY2005070678

Would love to track it down. Any help out there?

 

Arg!
I was soooo close.
Missed it by that much.
BlueBell

 

I read Blue Highways during a difficult time in my life, didn't help that I was 14 and had just lost my grandfather. It was 1989, about the same year the boat was sold I guess.
I'm so glad your grandparents finished the boat, from the story I wasn't quite sure, because it's like a Noah story -with this huge iron boat on blocks, landlocked and waiting for a flood and still far from finished. Of course the point is that it's a dream, and the dream is the important part.
But wow, they did it, and what a beautiful, solid ship she is. The pictures are worth a thousand words. That boat is so well made I doubt she would be scrapped so soon. I think that boat is somewhere and I hope you find it, as it's part of your heritage.
Thanks for the pictures and the update. Best regards to you and your family.

 

More of a trawler than a houseboat.

Corrections welcome.

 

KY2005070678 If that is a Kentucky assigned Hull Id number (and it sure looks like one) The first three are KYZ making the HIN KYZ005070678. If the boat is documented with the USCG and many that size are, you could trace it through the USCG documentation center. Look here USCG PSIX Search Page https://cgmix.uscg.mil/PSIX/PSIXSearch.aspx The number D911797 is the USCG official number and I looked it up and it is still listed as active under the name Blue Skies. You will have to contact the USCG Documentation center to find out the owner. National Vessel Documentation Center https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Deputy-for-Operations-Policy-and-Capabilities-DCO-D/National-Vessel-Documentation-Center/

Using a online vessel search site I found this (Free Vessel Documentation Database Search | MarineTitle.com https://www.marinetitle.com/vessel-documentation/database-search-lookup.aspx)
OFFICIAL NUMBER: 911797
HULL NUMBER: KYZ005070678
IMO NUMBER:
VESSEL NAME: BLUESKIES
HAILING PORT: ST PETERSBURG FL
YEAR BUILT: 1984
LENGTH - FEET: 64.6
BREADTH - FEET: 20.00
DEPTH - FEET: 12.00
GROSS TONS: 103
NET TONS: 83
SELF PROPELLED: Yes PROPULSION TYPE:
HULL MATERIAL: STEEL
HULL CONFIGURATION:
HULL SHAPE:
SERVICE TYPE: RECREATIONAL
CERTIFICATE ISSUED:
CERTIFICATE EXPIRES:
CERTIFICATE STATUS: Inactive
ENDORSEMENTS: Recreation
BUILDER: WILLIAM K HAMMOND
HULL BUILT: BROOKLYN, KENTUCKY
VESSEL COMPLETED:

 

I looked up BLUE SKIES on Vessel Tracker. Most vessels that size have MMSI or AIS and can be tracked. Vessel tracker shows a BLUE SKIES moored since Aug 18, 2019, At a marina next door to Albert Whitted Airport at 2nd Ave Northeast in Saint Petersburg FL

Actually any boat with a VHF Marine radio that has MMSI (even my 18 ft Sea Ray) and the radio is on at some point can be tracked.

 

U rock Ike!

 

That is one hefty boat for a 65 footer, looking at Ike's description.

 

yeah, 103 Gross tons! He built it solid.

 

Clayton,

I was neighbors with Benny Powell who were friends of Bill and Rosemary. Benny's son Mike helped with the installation of the engines. My wife and toured the boat several years before she was launched. Did you ever found out for sure the location of the Blue Bill? Do you have any pictures of the boat?

 

We haven't heard from Clayton since his initial post. Did he check out the boat in St Petersburg FL?

 

I have no idea. I don't know Clayton but I was hoping he would reply so I could share some photos of the boat launch that I received from Mike Powell.

 

In a "few days" the forum software will allow you to post those pictures.
Please do.
Cheers, and welcome to the forum.

 

Not sure if I'm reading that wrong, but there is no time limit as to when you can use the "Upload a File" to attach pictures to your forum post. Just click "upload a file" near the reply area and select the jpeg photos. (If it's a copyright issue though, it is requested that you please only post your own photos or photos that you have specific permission to post here.)

 

There was a delay between when one registered to the forum and when they could post pics.
Does that no longer apply?
Why does this new members header show no posts, zero, and yet there are 2 posts from them right here on this thread.
Thanks